Lies, Rescue mission and just a hint of Green
by ReKoJ
Summary: This was a story that I wrote by request to Gammawidow67.
1. Chapter 1

Out of all the ridiculous ideas that Fury had this one had been the worst. Bruce had told him over and over again that there was a reason he rarely went out into the field. It wasn't that he didn't like the job, it wasn't even that he was at odds with most of the people that he worked with; it was the fact that Hulk was unstable and Banner couldn't always pull him back. Fury had just smiled at him, clapped a hand on his shoulder and said that he had complete faith in him. Bruce tried not to panic.

Natasha had also tried to talk Fury out of it. She had already seen first hand the sort of damage that the Hulk could do. It wasn't that she was scared, she was pretty sure that Bruce had a very tight lid on things, it was that there was the potential for things to go bad. The fact that a good portion of their mission had to do with hunting around a military base did nothing for her nerves or to reassure her that this was going to go without a hitch. She figured that her best bet for the moment was to go and talk to Bruce.

Bruce wasn't at all hard to find. When he wasn't in the kitchen making tea or in his room, he was usually in the lab. The lab was where she found him, staring at a half-finished module of his latest blood work. She had no idea what he was doing and figured that if he was anything like Stark (being the mad scientist/engineer that he was), she didn't want to know.

"Dr. Banner, are you busy?" She waited in the door. She knew that he could say yes and that she would leave. But she also knew that if they had any hope of finding their target they would have to leave soon. The whole point of this little meeting was so that she could be sure that he would be able to handle himself once they were out there. She knew that if he doubted himself for even a second she would be on the phone with Fury, telling him that there was no way in hell that this mission was a go. She knew that they needed to find Hawkeye but she also knew that the last thing that they needed was a wounded (and possibly dead) archer, a massive body count and a great, big, green, rage-filled Hulk reeking havoc on everything in his path.

Bruce brought her attention back to the room by turning around in his chair, pushing his glasses up on his nose and looking at her. "No, what can I help you with?"

She leaned up against the other workstation. She knew that there wasn't going to be an easy way to say this, and she figured that in times like these it was best to just be blunt and honest. "Did Director Fury talk to you about the mission?"

Bruce took his glasses off and clipped them to his shirt, while pressing to fingers to the bridge of his nose. He could feel a tension headache starting, he could also feel the dull throb of the Hulk, the ever present pressure; a constant reminder of what would happen if he just let things go and let 'the other guy' take over. It was tempting sometimes to just let him win, take a backseat so to speak but he knew that now was not the time or the place.

"Yeah. Apparently one of the tracking devices that was placed on Clint was activated and SHIELD seems to think that they know where to find him. They also believe that sending you and me in to go get him is the best option they have of recovering him alive. I tried to talk Fury out of it. I told him that you and Stark could handle it but for one reason or another he is insisting that I go." He shook his head. "I don't completely get it. I mean, there are hundreds of agents within SHIELD that could handle this better than me. I'm not even part of SHIELD, not really. The whole thing smells funky. It's either a really good idea or there is a hidden trap somewhere."

She stared at him for a minute, not really sure how she should continue. There were a lot of things they needed to discuss before they left but he just seemed so lost. She knew that he felt safer in the lab, where as far as he was concerned Hulk had no interest and both he and the Hulk seemed to have come to the conclusion that The Avengers Tower was safe and therefore the lab was safe by default. She squared her shoulders, clearly having made up her mind on how she should proceed.

"I know that you don't want to do this, but I will personally make sure that everyone comes home; that includes you. And as much as I would love to sit here and go through every little detail of the mission we need to get a move on before they move him. If we lose the trace this time, there may not be a next time."

Although Bruce nodded his agreement and started shutting down the various machines that he had running, she couldn't help but catch the flash of green in his eyes. She knew that she should have the decency and common sense to be scared but she was more worried about Clint than anything else.

"We leave in fifteen minutes, if you're not on the plane I will leave without you." She walked out of the lab before he could respond. Bruce watched her leave, taking a deep breath through his nose, he needed to be calm. She wouldn't lie to him; she wouldn't lead him into a trap, would she?

Clint opened his eyes, but that didn't help. Wherever he was being held it was dark. He was tied to a frame of some sort, his arms spread to the sides and his legs tied at a wide stance, his quiver filled with arrows and his bow was missing. He hated not being able to see anything. He hated not being able to move; whoever had tied him knew what they were doing. No matter how much he moved or struggled there was no give in his restraints. He took a deep breath to calm himself down; panicking wasn't going to solve anything. That was when it hit him…he couldn't hear anything either. He took another deep breath, he was sure that his captors would be in to tell him their entire plan; like a bad Saturday morning cartoon and even if they didn't he was more than certain that SHIELD knew that he was missing and that they was more than likely someone looking for him.

He turned his head to the side as the lights were turned on. He shut his eyes because the lights had been off for so long that they hurt his eyes. He opened his eyes again when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

There was a man standing in front of him. He looked like a university professor of sorts, right down to the thick rimmed glasses. He didn't say anything just smiled and held something in his hand and Clint gritted his teeth and glared. In the man's hand were Clint's hearing aids.


	2. Chapter 2

Natasha and Bruce took the plane to a remote area. At first Bruce thought that perhaps the pilot had gotten the location wrong, there didn't seem to be anything but trees. Natasha put her hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"They were particularly smart, the base is under ground. Are you going to be okay?" She was looking at him with an expression that clearly said that she was concerned.

Bruce took another deep breath and tried to ignore the sour feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew that if he lost control while they were underground, things would get very bad, very quickly. "Just do me a favour?"

She backed up a step. "What?"

"If something goes wrong. If things start to get bad…don't leave me down there." He put his glasses on a shelf; he knew that there was a good chance that he wouldn't be able to contain 'the other guy' and there was no sense in losing another pair of glasses.

"Bruce? What did I tell you when we were in the lab?" She waited for his answer.

"I know what you said. But like I said, there are still something about this entire mission that doesn't sit well. And what really bugs me is how does someone like Clint manage to get himself captured in the first place? I mean, he's a master assassin, and excellent marksman and ever since that thing with Loki he has been extremely careful about knowing his surroundings. I just don't get it." As he spoke he took off his jacket.

Natasha bit her lip. There was a reason but she was pretty sure that if Bruce didn't know that was because Clint has chosen not to tell him for a reason. "They got the drop on him. He's good but we aren't like Steve or you, we are just human. He fucked up. It happens. Now get ready, we have to jump the rest of the way. We can't risk landing the plane and having them discover us. We can't help him if we are captured too."

As he got on his parachute, Natasha ignored the growl that she heard. She just hoped that he would be able to keep his cool. She knew that a growl is really nothing to worry about; she had heard him do things like that all the time in the lab. She strapped on her own parachute, closed her eyes and jumped.

Clint had all of the air knocked out of his lungs as he was punched in the chest. He shook his head and spit in the direction of the man who had punched him. He could see their mouths moving but couldn't tell what they were saying. The one who had punched him was laughing. He shut his eyes; if he couldn't see them then he could pretend that he was somewhere else and that it was someone else.

His head rocked backwards as he was punched in the face. He could feel blood drip out of his nose. He let his head fall forward and let his body relax. He knew that at this point if he pretended that he was unconscious perhaps they would leave him alone. There were some solid punches to his ribs and it took all the willpower that he had not to shy away from the punches or scream in agony as he felt his ribs cracking.

For the first time in a long time, Clint found the silence comforting. It allowed him to drift in his mind; to go to that place that he had created a long time ago. A place where the pain couldn't get him. He knew that going inside of his head wasn't the best thing for him to do, he should be keeping an eye on his surroundings but it wouldn't make any difference. If he opened his eyes, they would just continue with the beating, so no, for now he would pretend to be unconscious. He knew that by now SHIELD would have noticed that he was missing and they would send someone to find him. He prayed that it was Natasha. He knew that she would kill anyone who tried to hurt him.


	3. Chapter 3

The minute Natasha hit the ground she could feel the air change. It was almost as if it was charged with electricity. She removed her parachute and tried to hear Bruce, she heard someone moving around. She silently moved to the other side of what looked like a large abandoned building and kicked her unknown attackers feet from under them. She registered after he was already on the ground that it was Bruce.

For the first minute Bruce was slightly confused. Then he could feel Hulk pushing against the sides of his skull. This couldn't have been part of the plan. That would have been a very stupid move and not even Fury was that stupid. There were here to rescue Clint not trap him. He could feel his heart beat speeding up, he felt too warm and the anger was building. "What the hell? Was that part of the plan?" He took a step towards her.

Natasha could see that the brown of his eyes was now bright green. She held her hands, palms out in front of her, trying to get Bruce to realize that she was not a threat. That kick really had been on reflex and nothing else, years of being an assassin made every noise a sudden suspicion and a reason to protect herself. The mission was all about Clint and had nothing to do with Bruce or Hulk. She knew that she had to get Bruce to realize this before her transformed completely, she knew although the Hulk could be useful on making an exit, or making small work out of anyone or anything that the military sent their way, if he hulked out now that would most definitely tip Clint's captor's off. That was the last thing that she wanted.

Bruce was trying to remain calm. He was trying to employ the rational part of his brain, the one that reminded him that Natasha was his friend and she had sworn that nothing bad was going to happen. He took a deep breath, held it and tried to remember what had gotten him so angry in the first place. He didn't know.

Almost as if she could sense that he was fighting with himself, she took a step forward. "Bruce, try to calm down." She closed her eyes briefly to tried to ignore the sudden migraine that she was getting, if she was a betting woman she would have bet that it had something to do with how strange the air around them felt. She heard and felt the growl that seemed o come from deep in the other man's chest. Ever since she had first witnessed Bruce transform into the Hulk on the hellicarrier during their first mission as The Avengers she always had trouble trying to put two and two together, she always seemed to forget that somewhere deep inside Bruce was a rage and anger so forceful that it had manifested itself as The Hulk. "Bruce, please. Nothing bad is going to happen, I promised that before. We are going to go in, get Hawkeye and go home. Everyone goes home."

He turned to face her and when he did his eyes were bright green and she could see the green slowly start to tint his skin and she knew that, just like in the helicarrier she had said the wrong thing. She mentally kicked herself, for one reason or another despite the fact that that is supposed to be comforting, the only thing that it ends up doing is pissing him off even more. Bruce was looking right at her, he was growling from low in his chest and the noise is getting louder and louder. "Stop lying to me! I know what you want. You wanted the other guy, you got him."

She knew what was about to happen as Banner yells and suddenly it's the Hulk there instead. He's pissed and he's running towards the compound, she lost him within seconds and swears in Russian. She tried to activate her comm. Link but it was dead. She was guessing that whatever made the air smell funny, was probably electrical. She was on her own. She started running the way that the Hulk had taken off; she just prayed that she wasn't too late.

Clint wasn't sure how he had managed it but he had actually fallen asleep. If he had to guess he would have said that it was due to the fact that his captors had seemingly gotten bored with him when he had pretended to pass out and that the static in his ears was

somewhat of a comfort. He was surprised to find that he had been moved; he was now hanging by his wrists and arms, suspended from the ceiling. The rope was tight around his wrists and some of it wrapped around his arms, he had to grip it in his hands to make sure that it didn't cut into him too much, seeing as he had nothing to stand on.

He had been trying to figure out how in the hell he was going to get out of the mess that he was in when he felt the vibrations, they seem to becoming from everywhere at once. The only thing that he could think of that would have made vibrations like that was The Hulk. He was certain that SHIELD would have sent someone to get him out but he was more than certain that the last person that they would send would be The Hulk, he wasn't exactly people friendly.

The door to the room that he was in all but flew off the hinges and went smashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room. As Clint stared at the odd angle that it stuck into the wall he knew that his first assumption had been right, Fury had sent The Hulk and if he was smart he would have also sent someone else…someone that would be able control the Big Guy (not that anyone ever could).

Meanwhile in the hallway Natasha took advantage of The Hulk working smash detail to start searching the rooms. She knew that she should have stayed to try and to make sure that Hulk didn't kill anyone but at that point, they had captured Barton, and had probably been torturing him (if their past experiences had anything to say about it) so as far as she figured they would get what they got. She followed the path that the door had taken and was both angered and relieved by what she saw.

She was relieved that she had found Barton and he looked to still be alive. She knew by the way the muscles on his biceps stood out, from the strain of him having to hold up his own weight, that she had to get him down as quickly and as quietly as she could.

As she stepped closer, she realized that whoever had kidnapped him had taken out his hearing aids and at some point they had placed thick pieces of tape over his eyes (the tape hadn't even begun to curl at the edges so she knew that this was a fairly new addition) and he had a thick piece of duct tape over his mouth. They had effectively cut off all of his forms of communication. She quickly noted all the cuts and bruises that marred his skin and the dark patches on his shirt and pants where blood had soaked through and clotted, causing the material to stick to his skin. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to stay conscious for much longer if the way that he was shaking had anything to do with it. She knew, as she heard The Hulk's roar that they were running out of time. She took her knife and quickly sliced the rope just above his hands, she was cautious but he made no move to fight with her. She winced, as he made no move to fight with her or even stop himself as he landed in a heap on the concrete floor, with a dull thud.

She quickly untied the rope from around his wrists and peeled the tape off his eyes as he used his own hands to remove the tape from his mouth and spit out the wad of cloth they had shoved in his mouth. She jumped slightly as she heard another roar from Hulk and she could feel him thundering his way towards them. She just hoped that she would calm him down enough to get him to realize that they weren't a threat.

Hulk smashed through the sidewall, causing debris to fall everywhere. He roared, inches from Clint's face and pounded on his chest. Clint took a step forward, gently brushing the side of Hulk's massive arm. He looked into the creatures green eyes and smiled. He made gestures with his hands as he spoke, "I'm okay buddy. Let's get out of here."

Natasha knew that he was speaking slowly and a notch too quiet because he couldn't hear himself. She was about to take a step forward so that she could help Clint (who was still unsteady on his feet) when she stopped as Hulk glared at her. Hulk put down his hand and Clint carefully sat down in his palm. Natasha raised an eyebrow.

Hulk smiled at her. She knew that it was meant as a friendly gesture but it was one of the most terrifying things that she had seen in a while. "Hulk's." Without another word Hulk turned around and started the way that he came. Natasha ignored the piles of dead soldiers as they made their way out.


	4. Chapter 4

They were outside in a matter of minutes. Natasha didn't like the fact that Clint was so quiet, not making any of his usual sarcastic remarks. He just sat in Hulk's palm until they were outside and Hulk gently put him on the ground. She also didn't like that Bruce was still The Hulk even though it was clear that he wasn't angry at anything. As she glanced back at him she could have sworn that he looked tired, she had never seen him calm and still so big. She wasn't exactly sure how they were going to get back to helicarrier but she knew that she needed to get The Hulk back to being Bruce before they tried anything.

She stepped towards her friend, she was fighting with herself. She had known Hawkeye longer and he had been kidnapped, she wanted to check him over but knew that every second that they stayed where they were they risked being caught if there had been anyone left in the compound. She was worried as Hawkeye sat on the ground, almost as if he was waiting to see what she would do. She looked at him, her eyebrow raised but he just waved her off.

"Hulk?" She gently put her hand on his arm. It took everything that she had not to flinch back when he growled. He didn't get any bigger with the growl so she was guessing it was some form of communication. "You did good in there but we really need Bruce now."

He bared his teeth in some sort of smile. "Banner, puny."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was a lot more difficult then she had first thought it would be. But she knew that if they were going to get home, they needed Bruce. "I know that you think that but we really need him okay?" She tried to hide the urgency in her voice but she knew that was pointless. She stepped back with alarm as The Hulk suddenly slumped forward so that he was on his hands and knees; he let out a scream unlike anything that she had heard before. She watched in a grotesque kind of wonder as his muscles and bones began to shift and become smaller, and it wasn't long before she was staring at Bruce's naked, unconscious form.

She glanced in Hawkeye's direction. She knew that the helicarrier would need somewhere to land if they were going to be picked up and that where they were (seeing as it was thick with trees and boulders), they were going to have to move. She debated on picking Bruce up by herself but she doubted that she would be able to support his dead weight.

Hawkeye stood, seeming to crack his back as he stood to his full height. This wasn't the first time that they had given each other silent orders, when you worked together as long as they had, communication could be broken down to a few gestures, the movement of eyes or even a look. He had known that he would have to carry Bruce (The Hulk tended to take a lot out of him and he would be unconscious for a while, and even though he was sore, fighting though pain, being able to force it down to a place where it wasn't a nuisance was something that he had learned to do a long time ago. He picked Bruce up, putting one hand behind his knees and the other under his neck. He slightly nodded at her, she knew that he didn't have his hearing aids and that was his way of letting her know that he was on the same page as her.

Bruce opened his eyes and had to blink several times to try and clear the fog. He knew that The Hulk had been there, he was thirsty, the migraine he was getting was unbelievable and he was pretty sure that if he tried to get up he would pass out or vomit; quite possibly both. He very carefully turned his head and tried to see who was walking in.

Natasha walked into the room; she made sure that Clint was all right before she went to check on Bruce. Despite the fact that she was pretty sure that Clint was not okay he only seemed to be agitated and annoyed by her questions, so she left him in the capable hands of the medical staff.

Bruce turned his head, his vision still bleary as he watched Natasha walk in. She offered him a soft smile (it reminded him so much of Betty that his heart clenched) as she sat on the edge of the bed. He winced but managed to sit up, slightly relieved that someone had had the decency to put jogging pants on him.

"Natasha?" His voice sounded dry and weak. He hated what The Hulk did to him, how tired he was after and how the only memories he had since jumping out of the plane were foggy and fractured.

Natasha put her hand on top of his. "It's alright Bruce. We rescued Hawkeye and got out alive."

Bruce just nodded. He would have asked if he hurt anyone but he knew from the nature of the mission that injury to the military personnel had been inevitable. They had, after all been sent there to rescue one of their own and Fury for one reason or another felt that letting The Hulk in on this one was a good idea. He was more than certain that there were casualties but at the same time, when you kidnapped an assassin, weren't you really just asking for trouble?

Bruce swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat. His mouth felt like someone had packed it full of cotton. He sat up, mindful of the throbbing in his head and picked up the cup that held water, taking a gulp, he flicked his eyes back up to Natasha. "There was something in the air…The other guy didn't like it."

She nodded. "I had noticed that as well. As far as all the scans will provide, it was some sort of electric magnetic pulse, it triggered The Hulk. SHIELD retrieved and destroyed all of the data that had been there and what the base had been attempting to do. You were right about one thing, there had been a trap but it wasn't set by our men. The Military personnel that had been foolish enough to capture Barton were planning on using him as bait. Luckily they never really got the chance." She looked at Bruce's face and noticed that his eyes were just slightly ringed with green. It wasn't something that she was used to but he didn't really seem angry so she was guessing that it was just The Hulk's way of warning her.

Bruce inhaled deeply and folded his hands in his lap. "How is Barton and when can I leave?"

She felt sorry for him. She couldn't blame him for not trusting SHIELD, no one ever really did. But she was saddened by the fact that he didn't trust her, they worked on the same team together, they had to trust everyone else with their lives and rely on them to do their jobs. It was clear to her that although when they were out as The Avengers he trusted them, when it came to his personal life it didn't seem as if he trusted anyone. "Barton just pissed that after all this time, someone was still able to use his disability against him. Give him a bit of time and he'll be fine. And you'll be dropped off at your lab once you get some sleep. We aren't going to keep you any longer than what is strictly necessary."

He lay back down and closed his eyes. She brushed some hair out of his face. She was just about to leave the room when he spoke. "Natasha?"

"Yes?" She turned to look at the man lying in the bed. It startled her how small and vulnerable he looked.

Bruce on the other hand hated feeling like he did. He hated having to ask someone something that was so childish but the last thing that he wanted was to be alone. "Could you stay for a while?"

She raised an eyebrow at him but closed the door and walked back into the room. She knew that he probably just wanted the company, she knew how that felt. There were times when she wanted company, wanted someone in the same room, just so that she knew that it was alright but she had never asked. She admired Bruce because he had the courage to ask. She walked back to where she had been sitting but instead of reclaiming the chair she slid in bed with him.

Bruce was mildly shocked but he was too tired to question what she was doing. He just pushed his head back onto his pillow, as she curled around him. He fell asleep to her gently brushing the graying curls out of his face and humming some song he didn't know but it was comfortable. For once he managed to fall asleep without being fearful of someone finding him, even The Hulk was silent.

The end.


End file.
